Ohio farmer to pay fine for feed spill, fish kill

COLUMBUS, Ohio — An Ohio farmer has agreed to pay tens of thousands of dollars for a spill of pig feed that killed fish in a creek.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — An Ohio farmer has agreed to pay tens of thousands of dollars for a spill of pig feed that killed fish in a creek.

William Ringler pleaded guilty Wednesday to a violation of the Clean Water Act. According to federal court documents, a tank of liquid whey feed leaked twice during June 2007 at Ringler’s Steamtown Farm, which straddles central Ohio’s Delaware and Morrow counties. Authorities say the feed found its way into Alum Creek, depleting oxygen in the waterway and killing more than 36,700 fish and aquatic animals such as crawfish.

Federal prosecutors say Ringler agreed to pay a $51,750 fine and $17,250 in restitution as part of a plea deal. He has already paid $11,310 to cover the dead fish and the cost of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources investigation.